Urban III, George Pennock, a man with unbridled enthusiasm and optimism, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family at home in E. Walpole, Massachusetts on November, 11th. George took a genuine interest in others, and loved sharing golf, tennis, bridge and spirited discussions with loved ones.
George was born during WWII on October 13, 1942 in Buffalo, NY., the son of George Pennock Urban, Jr. and Jane Wells (Urban) Cordes. He summered in Rosehill on Lake Erie and was notorious for organizing golf, tennis, water skiing, sailing, and pickup softball games with his three younger sisters and many friends. He was a proud and loyal alumnus of The Park School of Buffalo, the University of Miami, the University of Pennsylvania (Masters in Electrical Engineering) and Canisius College (MBA). George’s entrepreneurial spirit drove the success of his own electronics business, while his passion for helping others fueled his 14 years as a volunteer math tutor at the Neighborhood House Charter School (NHCS) in Boston.
George was proud of his Buffalo heritage – Joseph Wells arrived in Buffalo in 1804, nearly 30 years before the city was incorporated; and the George Urban Milling Company was an early innovator in the electrification of America’s first rolling mill.
He is survived by Jean Enos Urban (wife), Christy Urban Strawbridge and David Pierce Urban (children), John Pierce Urban, Kaitlin Marie Urban, Alexander Wells Urban and Kevin George Urban (grandchildren), and Ann Louise Brooks, Janie Constantine and Betty Urban (sisters).
Due to the pandemic, a celebration of his life will be held at a later date. To carry on George’s philanthropic legacy, donations can be made in his honor to the Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, MA. www.thenhcs.org.